


The Captain x Vicar Max One-Shots

by Lykao



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21789766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lykao/pseuds/Lykao
Summary: A collection of one-shots that don't really go together, but were a bunch of ideas I had that I wanted to write and put in one place. I'll add tags/change rating if necessary as I go. It's probably going to be mainly fluff and angst since that's my thing, but I'll see what happens! Summaries for each one-shot in the beginning notes.
Relationships: The Captain/Maximillian DeSoto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	1. Things We Were

**Author's Note:**

> It's been years since the day Alex let Max walk out of her life as he left the Unreliable behind. The last thing she expected to see now was the Vicar. Scratch that, the last thing she expected to see was the Vicar, with his arm around someone new.

The years since rescuing the colonists had blurred together in the Captain’s mind. In fact she deliberately didn’t keep track of the days after most of her crew decided to leave to get on in their lives. In recent days only Felix and SAM remained consistently on the ship.

Ellie and Nyoka dropped in occasionally with missions of their own or tagging along to make a few extra bits here and there. Parvati had chosen to stay with Junlei on The Groundbreaker where they regularly met to catch up. The only one she’d lost contact with was Vicar Max. 

The hardest one to say goodbye to. She’d known from the beginning one day they’d part, he only joined the crew for transport. The fact that he stayed as long as he did had felt like a blessing.

That being said she had hoped their relationship, or whatever it was, would have changed the outcome. He and Nyoka left on the same day. He’d approached her the night before he’d be disembarking when they landed on Monarch the next day. 

They had seen the state of the colonies after recent events, and he wanted to go out and help those who needed it. She couldn’t argue that. It was his job, _law_ it was what he felt was his purpose in life.

He’d briefly hugged her, and placed a kiss to her temple as he went down the ramp of the Unreliable, his bag of books hanging off his shoulder. Neither asked when they’d talk again, where they’d be, or if they ever would see one another again. Though she knew the answer would have just been some lecture about the Path. So she let him walk out of her life five years ago, and hadn’t heard more than a passing mention from Felix about the ship being far less grumpy. 

So when she went to drown the day’s missions and sorrows in a drink at The Lost Hope, the last thing she expected to see was the Vicar. Scratch that, the last thing she expected to see was the Vicar, with his arm around a well put together woman.

The view made her internally sick. They came in after her, and it only took her moments to identify his voice. She sat contemplating if she had a better chance of being unseen by him if she were to bolt out the door now, or wait him out. 

The whiskey in her system convinced her that a mad dash for the door and then her ship would end poorly, so she sat squeezing the bottle in her hand as pieces of his conversation reached her ears. 

It was torture. Maybe an example of that snapback Max had always warned her about. Straying from your path causes an inevitable violent snapback. She silently prayed to every deity she could think of that they’d leave soon and wouldn’t notice her.

But of course that’s not how her life works out. 

“Al- Captain?” His surprised voice caught her off guard, her whiskey bottle slipping from her hand and rolling across the bar-top, the sound of glass breaking sounds miles away. 

“Vicar, nice to see you,” she responds with a strained smile. 

“And you,” he says softly, placing his hand on the bar near her own. “What are you doing here?”

“Maximillian, who’s this?” a shrill voice interrupts before she can answer his question. The woman from earlier pushes her way in between the two with a predatory smile.

“A-ah yes, this is Captain Alex Hawthorne,” he says quickly. “Captain of the Unreliable, the ship I mentioned before.”

“Of course, the piece of junk ship I saw in the dock today must be the one. And the Captain that thoughtlessly weaves her way through the plan.”

Alex narrows her eyes briefly, noticing Max stiffen at her words. “She’s not the prettiest ship, but she gets us where we need to go.”

“I see. Well Maximillian are you going to introduce _me_?” she insists. 

“Captain, this is… my partner,” he says briefly, his eyes not meeting her own as he says it. 

“I’m happy for you,” she says with a bitter smile. “Moving on is good.”

“Moving on?” the woman asks questioningly, “From what?”

Alex freezes as her eyes flicker over to Max, to see a guilty look on his face, confirming his partner hadn’t known.

“I- I apologize, I thought you knew, I should probably-“ Alex rambles as she tries to back away from the pair when she snatches her arm. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, uh, I think that’s more the Vicar’s place to say than mine,” she tries helplessly as she works on freeing her arm. 

The woman’s hold tightens as she turns to Max, “What does she mean?”

The man sighs heavily before awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, “The Captain and I… had a relationship of certain sorts while I was aboard the ship.”

The vice grip on Alex’s arm seemed to intensify tenfold at Max’s words, and she found the deadly glare trained back on her, looking her up and down, unimpressed.

“Far too young for him dear,” she clicks her tongue disapprovingly. 

“I’d like to think other things are more important,” Alex says nonchalantly, trying to hold back her own anger. 

“When you flaunt it around like a hussy, they aren’t going for you for your brains, _dear_ ,” the last word dripping in venom. 

“I am not some two-bit slut giving it out to any man that meanders onto my ship!” Alex finally shouts back, ripping her arm from the woman’s grasp. “You know nothing about me!”

“I know that you’re too young, you look ragged and like you’ve lived in the woods for years. Covered in scars and is that dirt? Architect knows if you even follow the Law, you probably strayed from your path years ago. You’re a regular ruffian that won’t finish out this decade alive.” 

“Is that right?” Alex taunts, crossing her arms. “ _Max_ didn’t seem to mind.”

Before she can react, Alex feels the blow of the woman’s fist connecting with her jaw. The bar patrons crowding around as Max grabbed the woman to hold her back as Alex tentatively rubs where the fist made contact. 

Ignoring the offending woman, she simply looks up at Max, “If this is what your Path has predestined for you, I wish you good luck, Vicar.” Turning on her heel she races out of the bar before she could hear a reply. 

Tears prickling at her eyes and her jaw aching, she finds herself at her old spot on the loading bay on top of the cargo crates. She sits listening to the sounds of ships nearby humming, the workers down below, and lets her mind wander back to escape the scene she’d just been in. 

After a few minutes she picks up the sound of someone else climbing and the cargo crates below her. The closer they got, she picked up his breathing and immediately recognized her visitor as the Vicar himself. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks without opening her eyes. 

“Coming to inspect the cargo, what the fuck do you think I’m doing?” his breath hitches as he gets to the crate below her. 

Her eyes finally open to see him struggling with something in his hand as he tries to climb up the last crate. “Struggling a bit are we?” 

“Take this,” he scowls, thrusting a bottle of whiskey at her. “I’m not getting younger, and I don’t chase you around Halcyon everyday anymore.”

She takes the bottle and watches as he pulls himself up onto her crate, settling himself beside her in silence. She uses the edge of the crate to pop the top off the whiskey and takes a swig before handing it back over to Max. “Why’d you come here?”

“To check on you,” he admits, taking a drink himself. “And to have a drink with you.”

“I see,” she mumbles, looking down at the wood beneath her. “I don’t think your… partner would be pleased that you met me down on the cargo bay. Making me look more like the two-bit whore than I already do evidently.” 

She hears a heavy sigh before feeling his fingertips on her chin, “Let me see your face.” 

Alex complies easily, letting herself enjoy the moment of his touch. He strokes his fingers over her jaw, his expression grim as he presses gingerly in the area starting to swell. 

“What’s the damage?” she asks in a teasing tone, trying to still her racing heart as his green eyes bare into her own. 

“Swelling,” he mutters, and swipes a thumb over her lip, eliciting a quiet groan from her throat. 

Her cheeks flush as his eyes widen, and a small smirk graces his lips. “I was wiping away blood.” 

“Of course,” she replies faster than necessary. “I knew that.” 

His other hand goes to cup her other cheek, causing him to cradle her head in his hands as the two look at one another questioningly. 

“I’ve missed you,” he admits, his own face moving close to hers.

She turns her head in his grip to let all it’s weight rest on his palm, “Your girlfriend is probably waiting for you.” 

“I ended it,” he responds simply as his fingertips trace across her cheek. “Do you really think I’d want to stay with that woman after that display? And she assaulted my Captain.” 

“From what I got, she’s really into her religion and has a temper, sounds like your true match.”

A soft chuckle leaves his lips and he leans forward, his breath playing on her lips as he responds, “You need someone that makes you a better person. The water to my fire so to speak. And the Architect just put you in my Path once again.”

“I’m in your path?” she asks quietly, afraid to speak any louder and break the trance. 

“Of all the places to show up in Halcyon, at all the times, you were there. By the Law, you always seem to end up back in my life.”

“What are you going to do about it?” she whispers, her eyes flickering down to his lips before back up to his own.

Immediately following her words, his lips are on hers. Soft but urgent. The taste of aged whiskey on his tongue, and his overwhelming scent that is distinctly Max. Her arms wrap around his torso as if by instinct, her hands gripping his strong shoulder blades trying to pull him ever closer, “ _Max._ ” 

“Alex,” he breathes out as his lips lift from her own. His face is flushed, and his usually perfect hair is already falling. Her favorite sight, one she didn’t think she’d ever have the pleasure of seeing again. 

“Still just as handsome,” she muses as her fingertips lightly stroke his back. 

His cheeks turn ever redder at her praise, pressing his forehead to hers he sighs, “I don’t deserve your kind words.” 

“Is it kind words when I’m just stating the obvious truth?” she teases, as she strokes the base of his neck. 

A shiver runs down his spine at her touch, “Coming from one of the Grand Architect’s finer creations, I’ll allow it.” 

He watches as her expression darkens, her brows furrowing and her arms falling from his frame, “Isn’t this… a little fast?” 

He raises a brow incredulously, “Need I remind you that I’ve seen you come undone in the midst of pleasure more times than I can recall Alex?” 

The tips of her ears reddening she gently smacks his arm, “That’s not what I meant Max. Not an hour ago your arm was around a woman you’d tied yourself to. Now… you're here. We’re here. Doing this. She’s not… right is she?”

All hints of humor drop from his face as he realizes she’s serious. Her eyes flicker away from him, shame written on her features. “What do you believe she’s right about?” 

“Is that what I am to you?” she manages to stammer out. “If it is… I-I can’t do this again Max,” she pushes herself away from him, climbing to her feet as she puts distance between them. “I can’t do this again if it’s not serious to you Max. I can’t get attached again. I can’t lose you _again_.” 

Max scrambles to his knees, grabbing hold of her leg as she walked toward the edge of the crate, her expression mixed as she looks down at his face. 

“Law knows I’ve made mistakes in my life Alex, but you aren’t one,” he insists. “When you turned around in that bar… and we came face-to-face. Time froze like your fucking time dilation. After I left the ship, I felt like I left a part of me on it. I tried to fill it with my Vicar duties. I tried to fill it with someone else. I thought I had a livable situation, that it was my path. Then you came into that fucking bar and snapped me back into place. I stood there between the choice I thought was right for my path in life, and the only person that never gave up on me.” 

“When she hit you… it shattered any illusion of choice, it was more than obvious where I want to be and where I belong,” he adds.

“What do you want Max?” she asks, her eyes finally meeting his. 

He’s silent for a moment, gaining his confidence, “To go back to the Unreliable. To be with you. To protect you. To see where this takes us.” 

His heart sinks as she pulls her leg out of his grip, preparing himself for her rejection, when she suddenly offers him her hand. 

He glances between her hand and her face, a smile spreading across her face, “Are you coming or not?” 

A similar smile makes it’s way to his face as he accepts her hand and he stands before her, “My services are yours Captain.” 

“What about your heart?” she teases as she looks out on the ships in the docking bay. 

“That my dear captain,” he turns her head gently back toward him, “Has _always_ been yours.” 


	2. No Smoke Without You, My Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex Hawthorne was the fire in Max's life. Whether it be the fire under his ass, the fire that kept him warm, or the fire that led the way.  
> Progression of the relationship between the Vicar and his fiery captain, the most infuriating person he ever met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently stumbled onto the poem "One Cigarette" by Edwin Morgan, and the first line of it sparked this idea. So the line is in this piece and the title of it :) Also this was meant originally to be like 2000 words at most, but it got a liiiiittle out of hand and ended up over 4,000 because I got way too into it lol

The Captain had to be the most infuriating person he’d ever met. A hard prestige to keep after immediately bringing Ellie onboard who seemed to find it her mission to annoy him. But Alex Hawthorne was in a league of her own. Stubborn, loud, brash, and action forward, he often wondered if she really thought out anything ahead of time. Her flippant attitude toward the Law also rubbed him the wrong way.

The fact she sought him out for console so often, but seemed to ignore all of his advice was tiring. It seemed like she just liked sitting in the chair in his room more than getting actual advice. 

-

_Rubbing his temple is frustration, Max sighs as he feels a headache coming on. He glances at the woman in front of him, “Why do you even ask my console Captain? You never agree with any of it.”_

_She smirked before reaching out to place her hand over his on the table. Heat rising up his neck at her touch. The look on her face makes his heart beat rapidly as she leans ever closer._

_“I need to make sure I’m straying from the Law and my Path as much as possible, so a certain Vicar has to snap me back into place,” she whispers in his ear, her warm breath on his neck scrambling his thoughts._

_A chill runs down his spine at her words, the implications behind them maddening… and magnificent at the same time._

_She presses a soft kiss to his ear before pulling back and getting to her feet, “I’ll leave you be for now, good night Max,” she calls out as she strolls out of his room, leaving him in equal measure confused and aroused._

-

She was like a blazing fire over Halcyon. Her every decision bringing major changes, and the smoke left behind putting new thoughts in the minds of the colonists and their view of the Board. She’d never truly said she was against the board, but discovering her true intensions with Welles, he didn’t doubt toppling the Board in someway lay down the line. 

It should have made him want to stop her. Let everything continue to run in it’s place like the Law dictated. But there was something about the way she felt she was right, and followed her goal with predatory precision that thoughts maybe this was her path came to mind. Halcyon had been the same for so long, maybe the Grand Architect wanted to set fire to the way things were. Maybe her Path was was to do this, and maybe… maybe his was to be by her side. 

From a child he had always felt like there was something missing in his life. He left home to pursue his goals with the OSI, hoping to find that missing piece. He’d devoted decades of his life to his study and more or less it just ended him up in several places he’d rather not have been. None of which filled that missing piece. He grew used to the feeling the older he got. He tried to cover it up, tried to keep himself calm in the life he had, but his violent outbursts often let the frustration of it all out. 

The more time he spent on the Unreliable, the more he felt… odd. The crew often annoyed him, and the Captain removed years of his life with her decisions, but he felt different. He’d protect the lot of them from anything. Just his Vicar duties he tried to tell himself every time after his explosion of anger from seeing one of them hurt or cornered turned into a blood bath on the opposition’s side. Maybe he was just growing used to them. 

The day Alex stopped him from killing Chaney, was the first day he felt his eyes started to truly open. 

-

_As they walked away from Chaney, he could feel the tension in the air. Fear rising up in his throat like bile unable to make him ask the question on his mind. He’d lied, he’d deceived them all to get here. There’s no reason they’d even want him on the crew anymore._

_When they’d gotten far enough away from Reginald, the Captain turned around violently and pulled Max into a hard embrace._

_The action made him gasp in surprise as he hesitantly allowed his arms to hug her back. Her scent was overwhelming, and her hair tickled his nose as they stood there in the shallows of the creek in silence for several minutes. Only the sound of the running water between them. Her hands ran down his back and looked up at him, her chin pressed to his chest._

_“Don’t lie to me again Max,” she demands, her gaze and arms holding him in place._

_“Never,” he responds quickly, his heart beat suddenly doubling in speed. The setting sun played off her eyes, making them look like a real fire staring into his own. She was beautiful, something he’d always felt but tried to hold down._

_“I’m proud of you though,” she continues softly, still holding his gaze._

_Once again he feels a blush working it’s way up his neck and cheeks, “I- what?”_

_“We all get mad,” she explains. “We all make bad decisions. We all do things we regret. Sometimes we just want to beat it all into submission, a feeling I’m more than familiar with. But you didn’t you stopped yourself.”_

_“Y-you stopped me,” he correctly quickly, hoping she doesn’t feel the intensity of his heartbeat. A hope he knows is in vain seeing as her chin was nearly right above it._

_“I asked you to think, I didn’t hold you back,” she says. “You still could have done it. But you didn’t._

_“I- suppose so,” he admits, his arms tightening around her waist. He knew he shouldn’t, but the comfort her embrace brought him…he wasn’t ready to let go yet._

_A small grin crosses her face as she looks up at him, “Your hair is messed up.”_

_“The least of my concerns today Hawthorne,” he mutters, but a smile pulling on his lips as well._

_“Could you lean down a bit?” she asks him, her eyes seemingly getting wider, possibly the most innocent expression he’d ever seen on her face. “I want to tell you a secret.”_

_Visibly confused, he does as she asks, bending down to bring his face closer to hers._

_“Perfect,” she murmurs, a smirk spreading across her face. Before he realizes what’s happening, her lips are on his._

_Her lips were softer than he imagined, unimaginably soft. And it’s over as fast as it began, her face pulling back from his and her arms releasing him._

_She stands back with a teasing smile as he looks back at her, even more visibly confused than before. “Lets head back yeah?” she offers, her hand reaching out to him._

_Without a thought he put his hand immediately in hers. The first of many times._

-

And somehow he found himself in a relationship with the Captain. If he’d thought she would be less infuriating once she was regularly inviting him to her room at night, he’d have been wrong. She was still a blazing fire that didn’t back down to any man, machine, or organization. He’d grown to fond of it, and he’d be lying if he said she didn’t know how to set him afire in their moments of passion. 

But more so he felt incredibly lucky to be the one seeing her in her moments of tranquility. The first time he’d spent the night in her room he’d awakened before she, to the sight of her face on his chest. They’d crammed into the small bunk, her smaller body sprawled across his, something he wasn’t sure would be very comfortable at the time, but ended up becoming nearly the only way he could now sleep. 

Her weight on his frame kept him feeling grounded. It felt like she was holding every piece of him together with the simple action of just being there. Nearly every morning he was the first to awaken now, spending the short time he had before she exploded back into action, to appreciate her soft features and long lashes at the tops of her cheeks. 

She also seemed to appreciate waking up to his fingers combing through her hair instead of ADA’s voice informing her of the time. 

He felt a lot calmer in recent days. He’d strove to unravel the mysteries of the Plan, and the information he’d received should have hurt far more than it did. But a part of him always doubted. He’d overcompensated for his insecurities with it with research and vehemently defending it. But since their trip to the Hermit’s place, he’d accepted it wasn’t what he thought. 

He hadn’t found the answer he wanted. That should have sent him into a spiral after the years he spent looking. But he just found himself now calmly accepting it. Feeling more whole now than he had his entire life. The understanding he desired, and comfort he needed. He often found himself wondering if what he really had needed all along was this kind of support. 

Glancing over to the nearby clock he sighs at the time. Letting his eyes drift over her sleeping form one more time, he gently tried to wake her. 

An annoyed grumbled comes from her sleeping form, her face twisting in unhappiness. “Five more minutes.” 

“Captain, Darling,” he says softly, his breath blowing on her ear as she twitched in further annoyance. “There are things to be done today.” 

“Thing always need to be done,” she mutters, clenching the fabric of his nightshirt under her. 

He presses his lips to her forehead as his hands start to untangle her mess of hair, “You are a Captain.” 

“Being Captain isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” she says as her eyes finally open to look at him. “After all this you owe me retirement in a cottage in the woods where I can lay like this all day.” 

Once again her words make his heart beat faster, something he knows she feels the second it happens. “You have intentions on putting up with me that long?” he teases. 

“Oh yeah,” she responds, lifting her head to be face-to-face with him. “You’re putting up with me ’til the day one of us is in the dirt.” 

A chuckle escapes him as he pats her back, “You know if I were to try to go back to my Vicar duties, the OSI doesn’t take too kindly to the term ‘girlfriend’ don’t you?”

Her eyes widen as she searches his face looking for a joke, “Are you saying… we can’t be together if you do?” 

“Law no,” he hastily throws out. “I was implying that you might have to become Captain _DeSoto_ if I did.” 

“Captain DeSoto?” her expression first confused changes to one of understanding as a smirk crosses his own face. Her cheeks heat up at the implication and she lightly hits his chest. “Have to hit me with that first thing in the morning huh?” 

“Is there a better time to discuss the idea of marriage?” he questions, an innocent look on his face. 

“I am sorry to interrupt your conversation, but Captain Hawthorne and Vicar DeSoto are needed in the kitchen for mission briefing,” ADA calls out into the room. 

Alex sighs heavily as she slowly pulls herself off of Max and begins getting out clothes for the day, “Alright ADA.”

Max echoes her sigh at the loss of her body heat. He approaches the new mirror they’d installed in the room and runs a hand over his stubbly jaw. “I suppose I should get a shave and shower prior to going out.” 

“You don’t have to shave,” she throws in helpfully, winking as he turns to her. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you with some facial hair.” 

He rolls his eyes as he grabs his vestments from the floor and makes his way toward the door, “You in fact do not want to see that. I look horrible.” 

“Oh you’ve let it grow out before?” she questions, looking up to him as she fastens her belt. 

“In prison they didn’t care about our appearance as much,” he admits, running his thumb over his stubble. “I didn’t put much thought into it, I just didn’t put the effort into shaving.”

“Maybe one day you could show me though?” she asks hopefully. 

He chuckles and shakes his head and the door opens in front of him, “Maybe one day.”

-

Their mission in Monarch seemed a simple one. Though traversing Monarch was never a simple task. Running a mission to the Sulfur Pits was low on the list of things Max would prefer doing, but when the Captain asked that he and Nyoka join her, he of course accepted. 

It was one battle after the next. The land crawling with marauders and raptidons. He’d also prefer to be closer to Alex during battle, a worry that began to nag him more and more the closer they grew. But she was a “rush into the fray with a saber” type of fighter, and she wanted him further back with his shotgun. While he agreed he was a better shot than he was with his two handed weaponry, he still bickered with her over it occasionally. The only two she seemed to allow to be actually at her side were Felix and SAM, a fact though irked him more than he’d admit to her. 

She’d called out to him to take care of the nearby raptidon mauler, something accomplished easily with the blast of his shotgun, when he heard it. A bleed curdling shriek of pain from behind him. Whipping around he’s faced with the scene of the Captain covered in Spitter acid desperately pawing at her armor as more raptidons took that as their chance. 

She’s lost under a pile of the animals jumping on and snapping at her. His heart sinks as he hears another yells, not fully registering that it came from himself. His shotgun slips from his hands as he pulls his axe from his back. 

He swings wildly at the beasts, watching for Alex under the heap of them. Once they’ve finally backed away, Nyoka blasts the remaining few from a distance and Max sinks to his knees to the crumpled form of his captain.There’s blood, Everywhere. Her body is still smoking from the acid on her armor, and he works quickly to rip the armor off without getting any on himself. The gashes, punctures and burn marks are obvious now. She’s barely breathing and her body is mangled. The sound of footsteps spins him around rapidly, his axe in hand as Nyoka waves him down. 

He drops the weapon and turns to look back at the captain. 

“Is she breathing? Nyoka asks stiffly. 

“Barely,” he mutters, his blank mind trying to figure out what to do. 

“Then fucking pick her up and we hightail it back to the ship,” she spits angrily, “Or did you plan on letting the captain bleed out on the ground?”

“Of fucking course not,” he snaps back, trying to figure out how to carry her causing the least amount of damage. 

Pulling off his own armor, he strips his vestments off quickly and pulls them onto her to the best of his ability, hoping to keep her slightly more covered in the trek back. Pulling his own armor back on, he picks her up, cradling her in his arms before nodding at Nyoka. The two take off headed back toward the ship. Only stopping once to jab an Adreno syringe into her leg. 

It’s nearing dark when they make it back, Nyoka slamming her fists on the ship’s doors to be let in as Max looks down at the Captain. There’s the slightest movement from her chest, but her face looks as if he’s looking at a corpse. 

Looking back up he’d faced with the whole crew staring at them wide eyed as they rushed in. 

“Help her!” he demands as he rushes to face Ellie, “Do something!” 

Ellie snaps into action, grabbing his arm and leading him toward the captain’s quarters. She quickly throws everything removable off the desk and motions for him to lay her down. She starts rattling off things for him to bring her from her room, and shoos him out. 

He races up the stairs and quickly collects all the items before heading back down to deliver them to the doctor. 

“I- is she going to be ok?” he asks hesitatingly. 

For possibly the first time in the time he's known Ellie, there’s no smirk on her face, and no teasing remark. She sighs, “I don’t know.”

He’s feels like he’s going to be sick, and the world around him seems wobbly at the news. His hands grip the edge of the desk as he looks at her bruised and bloody face. 

“I’m going to need you to leave Vicar,” she states firmly. Send in Parvati on your way out.”

“What? Why!?” he demands. 

“I need an assistance and you’re too emotional and too close to this. Get out Max.”

Everything in him wants to argue with her, but the sight of the captain on the table changes his mind. He nods and goes to find Parvati. 

He spends some time sitting in the entrance of the ship, just staring up at the captain’s closed doors, but finally resigns himself to a shower after SAM tries several times to wash him, himself. 

Standing quietly as the water runs down his tired body, he watches her blood slowly be washed away from him. And in that moment, that sense of missing something has returned. That feeling he felt his whole life. Returned… but far worse. Because this time he knew what it felt for it to not be there. 

He smashes his fist onto the shower wall, a hiss escaping him as he looks at his now bloody knuckles. Silent tears run down his face, mixing in with the water from the tap. He leans with his forehead against the wall as thoughts of living his life without the captain infiltrates his mind. Just this morning he’d awoken with her in his arms. even discussed after this was all over. Her being his wife. It feels like centuries ago. He doesn’t know what he will do. Everything in him is telling him to prepare for the news that she’d passed. 

What would happen if she did? What would happen to the Hope colonists? The colonies? The crew? Himself? 

The fire that led them ever further seemed like it had been snuffed out. And he’d been right there, unable to do anything. 

-

The next two weeks became a monotonous cycle for Max. Ellie said she was alive, the surgery was a success and her wounds bound. But she’d been forced to put her into a medical coma to get her there. One she couldn’t be guaranteed to come out of.

He slept in his own room every night. Alone. Well, he tried to sleep, usually in vain. Then rose in the morning for a shower then sat at Alex’s bedside with a book the entire day. Only leaving to use the restroom and get food. When the crew came to visit or Ellie came to check on her, they all accepted he wasn’t going to move and just said and did what they needed, ignoring his presence. 

It was in that time he really realized how much the Captain meant to all of them. She wasn’t just the fiery leader taking them ever forward. She was a friend, a best friend. A sister. They all had their individual relationships with her that he’d never taken the time to notice before. Parvati taking it the worst of the rest of the crew, Felix shortly behind that. 

Luckily for the crew, ADA allowed Parvati to stand in as captain to give orders for the ship, allowing them to make it back to the Groundbreaker where they could get supplies and Ellie could get second opinions on the state of the captain. 

As another day passed of Max reading, scribbling in his notebook, and talking to her about anything he could think of, Alex’s eyes finally opened. 

At first she’s not sure it’s even happening. She’d been able to hear them all, but wasn’t sure how much time had passed that her body refused to respond to her. She was almost thankful she couldn’t feel the pain from what they all said of her state, but she was terrified she’d never gain control again. 

The only thing that kept her sane was Max’s voice a constant throughout the day. Him talking about his childhood, days training, his time in prison, his days as a Vicar, and even surprisingly reading her poetry from one of his many books. And she dreaded the moment every day that he sighed and rose from his seat, all his joints cracking as he stretched. He’d tell her he loved her, and he’d be back for her in the morning. 

They’d never said they loved one another. She knew he did, and she knew she did. But it hadn’t ever been said. After weeks of him saying it, she was dying to say it back. Even once. 

As her eyes flickered open, the room seems almost too bright as she adjusts to the light. 

Immediately her eyes fall to Max, seated at her bedside, writing something in his book. His brow was furrowed, his normally tidy hair flopped haphazardly around his head, and dark circles under his eyes. The start of a beard had even begun to grow.

“No smoke without you, my fire,” he muttered, circling something on the page, pausing as he looked at the words. 

Her throat is dry and screaming for water as she tries to force words to her lips. Just four words and she’ll be satisfied. 

“I.. love you…too,” she manages to get out, her voice barely above a whisper. 

His head instantly snaps up, his eyes widening as they met hers. He jumps to his feet, the book in his lap spilling to the floor as his hands cup her cheek, “Alex! You’re awake, thank the law you’re awake.” 

She forces a smile to her lips as her head lulls in his hands, “Water,” she manages to get out, a coughing rising in her throat. 

“Of course of course,” he quickly grabs his own glass from the floor beside him, holding it carefully to her lips as she drank it greedily. Little bits dribble down her chin as she drinks, his other hand gently wiping them away. 

With the ache in her throat finally gone, she grips his hand with the little strength she has before muttering, “You should get Ellie.”

He nods enthusiastically as he heads toward the door, only stopping as he hears her last words as he exits, “Gonna be ok.” 

-

The Captain’s recovery took far longer than she’d like, what with all the work she had left to do. But she took it slow for the crew’s sake, their worried glances always causing her to pause. Max however, had taken it upon himself to take two of them out to continue her missions as she healed. Not wanting her to rush herself back into work. 

As usual though things didn’t go as to plan as possible, and she was thrown back in as quick as she could manage. The next few months blur together culminating in one final decision to save the colonist and fight against the board. 

The colonies were launched into chaos from uncertainty, but they held their own in the world where they no longer had the board controlling them. 

Over time the crew dissipated, until it was just the Captain and her Vicar left on board, flying to and fro doing their best to help those they could in the new era. They rarely were able to all meet up with the others, but today was one of those days. 

“You look beautiful,” Max whispers as his hands settle on her hips, the soft fabric of her dress underneath them, and his chin settling on her shoulder. 

“Aren’t you not supposed to see me before the ceremony?” she teases, her head leaning against his. 

“Not that I’m aware of,” he comments with a shrug. “At least that wasn’t a tradition I know of from my years as a Vicar.”

“Must just be an Earth one then,” she responds leaning back into him. “It was said if the groom saw the bride before the wedding it was bad luck for the marriage. 

She sees a scowl go across his face in the mirror, “That’s illogical.” 

She laughs as she detangles herself from him and turns to look over his outfit. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly under her gaze, “Does it… look alright?” 

“You look very handsome,” she says with a smile, smoothing out the dress-wear on him. She leans up onto her tip-toes to whisper into his ear, “But you’ll look even better when they’re on my cabin floor later.” 

His face flushes red at her comment, but his eyes light up, pulling her in close, “Don’t you fret, tonight _Mrs. DeSoto_ you will be all mine.” 


End file.
